MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- Alabama Power's second informal hearing before the Public Service Commission has been moved to a different city.

Alabama Power was previously scheduled to appear before the PSC in Montgomery, on the ninth floor of the RSA Union building, on June 18. The date of its second hearing has not changed, but the location has been moved. The company is now slated to appear at the Moot Court Room of the University of Alabama School of Law, at 101 Paul W. Bryant Drive in Tuscaloosa.

Speaking with AL.com, Commissioner Jeremy Oden explained that, following the location change, the June meeting will now serve a dual purpose. During the day, the PSC will hold its regularly scheduled meeting to review Alabama Power's operations, and in the evening, the Commission will continue with a public hearing designed to let utility customers have their say.

As for why the Commission chose Tuscaloosa, Oden said the city offered the PSC a chance to interact with a wider range of Alabamians, compared to a scenario where the Commission did not leave Montgomery. (Earlier this year the PSC visited Mobile for one of Mobile Gas' hearing sessions.) "We're trying to spread these across the state," Oden said.

When Alabama Power's informal hearing process before the PSC began earlier this month, members of the audience were quickly restricted to standing room only, so the move may also help address capacity issues.

At the June meeting, the PSC will address Alabama Power's generation, transmission, and distribution operations beginning at 2 p.m., and will begin a customer service overview at 6 p.m., according to a notice published by the PSC on Wednesday.